Freedom
by Madara-Baka
Summary: ItaSasu short story. Yaoi, Uchihacest, lemon in later parts. Humorous :D Itachi acts creepy, Madara and Izuna are devious plotters, Sasuke plots a double murder, and Fugaku has an aneurysm.
1. Chapter 1 Descent Into Hell

Hey, Hi, Hello.

Here is part one of an ItaSasu short story. This was inspired in part by a picture I saw in a video of comics and pictures for the pairing SasuNaru. It's the video to the side. The picture itself is at 5:26. This turned out much, much lighter than originally planned. It's probably the music I'm listening to. Please enjoy this! :D

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto T/.\T

**Anything in bold is important or with emphasis.**  
_This is what thoughts look like. _

~FREEDOM~

**FANDOM:** Naruto  
**TITLE:** 'Hurt'  
**AUTHOR:** slasheRR, obviously.  
**PAIRING:** ItaSasu. (ItachixSasuke, . .homosexual love)  
**RATING:** R  
**LEMON/LIME:** First implied lemons, then an actual lemon in the second/third part.  
**WARNINGS:** Incest! Consumption of alcohol (why does all of my yaoi stuff have sake in it?), a bit of angst, a happy ending. Uchihacest, AU, OOC-ness. If you do not approve of yaoi, simply do not read it.

~FREEDOM~

_'I wonder if there will be a day when I stop hurting you.'_

~FREEDOM~

Another day.

My eyes open. The first thing I see is the white ceiling. A crack runs almost entirely across the expanse of it, meeting the corner and disappearing. The only sign that this house was old, the only sign that it was anything but perfect. Except for me. I felt like the crack in the ceiling- something ugly, out of place in this house and this family.

But oh well. I couldn't change anything. I could just wait for the next one month, two weeks and two days of my life to slip by, until my eighteenth birthday, and then I would be gone. Free. I would be able to make my own choices, be my own person. I could fail miserably, fall flat on my face. It would hurt, it would require hard work, but I would have done it all on my own. A small smile drifts up to the surface, wanting to break free. I push it down, though- even when he wasn't near, my father still controlled my every action.

I swing my legs over the side of my bed. I had school today. My last day of my junior year of high school. We weren't even going to be doing anything except for sitting around talking. I shower quickly, eager to get out of my house. I run a comb through my hair, ignoring the way it was perpetually spiky in the back. After nearly eighteen years of living, I figured out my hair was gravity defying and would resist anything I even dared to use to smooth it down.

Heading back to my room from the bathroom, I pass by Itachi. I forgot to bring a shirt, so I was only wearing boxers and a pair of skinny jeans. His eyes drift down my chest, up, down again, and then to my face. I keep walking, ignoring the look. My relationship with Itachi was rather complicated as of the past year or so, and most of the time it was for the worst.

On my seventeenth birthday, when night had come and our parents were asleep, he snuck into my room. I still hadn't been asleep yet, too excited thinking about how there was only one year left before I could leave this all behind. I was a bit startled when he came in. He kissed me on the lips and told me that I looked 'delicious'. I was confused by that. He proceeded to show me what he meant by fucking me into my mattress. And ever since, he gave me an insane amount of mixed signals. Shoving his hands down my pants and giving me a less-than-chaste kiss when his girlfriend went to the bathroom and it was just us two. When our father was on a business trip and mother was at the store, proceeding to show his affections the same way he did the first time. Then, when we were still laying in bed feeling the after effects of sex, he would call his girlfriend to make plans about their next date.

And his girlfriend was a big contributing factor for why I wanted to leave. She was one of the worst people I had ever met. She was completely unattractive, what with her humongously fake boobs, caked on face makeup, way-too-revealing clothes, sickeningly sweet floral perfume, and her high, nasal voice. Just thinking about her made me want to punch something. And she was such a bitch- whiny, demanding, clingy, assuming. She hated me too, always letting me know that.

No reason to put myself in a bad mood before I even got to school, though. I think about something else, something that brought a blush to my cheeks. Itachi. I feel heat in my cheeks, and I thank Kami that I was alone, in my room. I think of how much I loved him- Itachi was one of five family members I didn't perpetually despise and wish the worst fate upon. The other four were my cousins Obito and Shisui, and then my two uncles Madara and Izuna. Madara and Izuna were the younger brothers of my mother. Obito was an entire five years older than me, Shisui four, Madara seven, and Izuna one. In fact, when I left home on my birthday, I would be going to stay with Madara and Izuna. I already discussed it with them thoroughly, and they were welcoming about it.

My thoughts of Itachi- absolute adoration, devotion, love. I loved him with everything in me, even though he managed to hurt me. I sometimes wondered if he did it on purpose. Maybe so, but that didn't change much. I would always be Sasuke, his little brother that followed in his footsteps like a lost puppy and was to be used as a toy. Nothing more than a game.

Time to go to school, now, I remind myself. Not time to think about Itachi hurting me. I slide my shoes on and grab my keys. My father allowed me to drive to school. I didn't really own the car, and that fact was continually in the back of my head. I had a cell phone, too, but that wasn't under my control either. Not long now until I got control of my fate, though.

~FREEDOM~

The following weeks were all blurred.

A tension begins building in my chest. A giant, neon sign burned in my head, reminding me I only had a little bit longer now until I was finally free. The tension slowly mounts, growing until it almost felt like my chest would cave in. On the morning of my eighteenth birthday, I wake up. I take a shower and put on the clothes I had set out for myself the previous night, stowing away the ones I had been wearing in one of my suitcases. I only had a few boxes and things, stuff I wanted to take with me when I left. But, for the main part, my things were all staying here.

I move downstairs at around ten thirty, knowing Madara would be here soon to pick me up. As it happened, my father was off of work today. So all of my family would be here to witness my departure. They were all currently gathered in the kitchen, eating a late breakfast. My father sipped coffee and discussed business with Itachi. My mother was at the stove, making chocolate chip pancakes. I drift emotionlessly into the room, pour myself a glass of orange juice, and press a kiss to my mother's cheek as I pass her. She greets me happily, chirping, "Sasuke-chan! Happy birthday, sweetheart! I'm making your favorite- chocolate chip pancakes!"

I nod. "Thank you, kaa-san. I appreciate it." If she paid much attention, she would discover I hated chocolate chip pancakes with everything in me. But oh well, this would be the last time, so I would suffer through it. I'm only just sitting down when the door bell rings._ Already? _I rise from my seat the same time Itachi does. He goes to answer the door while I head upstairs to get my things. I can hear him welcome Madara into the house, leading him to the kitchen. I almost smile at this, grabbing my things. I had two bags and one box. I sling the bags over my shoulder and scoop the box into my arms. Then I head back downstairs.

From the kitchen, I can hear my mother call me. I reply by telling her 'just a moment', and I set my things by the door. When I reappear in the kitchen, I find Madara speaking with them all. When he looks up to see me standing in the doorway, he rises from his chair. "Well, Mikoto-nee, I'm afraid I can't stay longer," he tells my mother, walking across the kitchen to join me at the door. "You have all of your things, Sasuke-kun?"

"Hai," I nod. I turn to face my family. They all look extremely confused, so I decide to explain what was going on. "Well, tou-san, kaa-san, aniki, I'm eighteen years old. Of legal age. That means you no longer have control over me. And I am leaving. I'm sick and tired of being unable to make any choices for myself. All my life, I've been like your puppet. Living in Itachi's shadow, doing what you decided for me. And I will no longer be subjected to your will."

"Tou-san. You have been doing your damnedest to mold me into your ideal son. You never paid much attention to me, only speaking to me if it was to inform me of how pathetic and useless I was. I used to genuinely desire to be the perfect son like Itachi. But I came to the realization that no, I was not, am not, and never will be Itachi. So I'm not going to even try anymore. Kaa-san- I love you, but you're not much different. You don't pay attention to my likes and dislikes. If you did, you would have realized that I hate chocolate chip pancakes with every fiber of my being. But neither of you can compare to you, Itachi," I say, fixing my gaze upon his face. "I love you with all of my heart, more than anything else. I worship the ground you walk on. There will never be another person, Itachi. Never. Not that I would even try to replace you. You're all there's ever been for me, all I've ever wanted in my life. There is only one part of you that I don't love- that stupid whore you call a girlfriend. Believe me, I know that you don't think of me in the same way, and I know that you never will. That certainly doesn't impair my feelings towards you. Even so, I can only take so much. And so, I'm finally getting the fuck out of this perfect little family."

With that, I turn on my heel and leave. Madara follows closely after, ignoring my father's protests. We carry my things out and load them up. I feel a smile tugging at my lips the entire time, even when my father runs out onto the lawn screaming obscenities. It isn't until much later, when the house that was the source of my hatred has long since disappeared from my view, that I finally let the smile show.

-TWO YEARS LATER-

One summer afternoon is when my life starts to crumble down.

I was the only one there. Madara was out with his boyfriend Zetsu and Izuna was at work. I, myself, had only recently gotten off of work. It wasn't out of the ordinary when the phone rang. It was great timing, as I had literally just stepped into the house. I set the bag I was carrying against the wall by the front door. It doesn't take long to find the phone- it was on a counter in the kitchen. Leaning against the counter, I scoop it up into my hand and press answer as I put it up to my ear. "Uchiha Sasuke," I say.

"S-sasuke?"

"Shisui? Is that you?" I ask. My eyebrows furrow in confusion- all contact between my other family members and I had been dropped when I left. I hadn't spoken to Shisui in years, so something was definitely up. And he sounded like he was crying, which was even worse.

"Hai," he tells me, "Listen, um, you remember Uruchi? Well, she, uh, she died-d."

"Oh, Shisui," I tell him, "I'm so sorry. When did it happen?" I was being honest- I genuinely felt bad. Aunt Uruchi was far from my favorite, but she was Obito's mother. And, seeing as Obito was one of my favorites, it hurt to know he was in emotional pain.

"Two days ago. I would have called sooner, but it wasn't easy to track down you guys' number," He says, exhaling shakily. He was doing a good job at hiding the pain, but it was still there. "I want you three to come to the funeral."

"Oh, of course," I say, "when is it, and where? Don't worry, we'll be there."

"The day after tomorrow. There's going to be a wake, the actual funeral, and then a a reception afterwards. We'll all be gathering at someone's house beforehand, though," he informs me. He gives me the time and address and then, after a small exchange of words, we end the conversation. At least I would be seeing him again, though it would be under saddening pretenses.

~FREEDOM~

Oh, how fate hated me.

I stare up at the house before me, the one I had been doing my best to completely erase from memory. As was a horrible coincidence, the meeting before the wake was being held at my former home. And so was the reception. Madara, Izuna and I were all dreading it, but I don't think they were as afraid of it as I was.

"So," Madara whispers to me as we begin the torturously short walk up to the front door, "we have an emergency plan just in case we need to get the fuck out and away from them, right?"

"No," Izuna whispers back. Madara makes a sound of disapproval. Izuna rolls his eyes as he knocks on the door. All I do is try not to throw up in the bushes. It would be in rather bad taste to do so when there had been a recent death in the family. Moments later, the front door swings open to reveal a familiar face- my mother.

When her eyes land upon me, they water up. My guilt flares. I really shouldn't have been so harsh to her, because she honestly did not deserve the words I directed to her. She was the only one I regretted speaking to like that. She invites Madara and Izuna in. They step in past her, entering the household and going into the kitchen where others were. But all I can do is stand there awkwardly and watch her go through several emotions. First, shock, followed by anger, guilt, love, and forgiveness. When this final emotion comes to rest upon her features, I allow myself a small, hesitant smile. "Kaa-san," I begin, "I want to say that I'm sorry for what I said about you. It doesn't change what I said about Chichi or Itachi-"

"Sasuke-chan!" She exclaims, diving forward into my arms. So I guess she forgave me, if her hugs were anything to judge by. I find myself hugging back, feeling a bit of the old Sasuke come back. After a moment, she pulls away and tells me, "Come, Sasu-chan, Shisui and Obito are in the kitchen."

I follow her inside, careful to shut the door behind me. We reach the kitchen quickly, where I see she failed to mention that my father and Itachi were there as well. It's rather strange when they immediately cut off all conversation when I enter the room. "Sasuke," father says coldly. "I see you have your ears pierced."

Itachi remains silent, as do the others in the room. I'm guessing this is where the men are, because Obito, Shisui, Madara, Izuna, and a good portion of my male family members are. They're all silent, staring at me expectantly. I cast a glance around the room before letting my eyes come to rest on my father. "Hai, tou-san. If it displeases you to know that, then you'll be overjoyed about the tattoos."

That seems to ease the tension, if only a bit. Small conversation begins again, and I go straight to the farthest place away from Itachi. That place is the far counter. No one else is over there, which is even better. I can be left in peace. I take a drink from a tray and down it, discovering it was wine. Not as good as sake, but at least it was alcoholic.

My peace doesn't last very long, for the last person I want to talk to saunters over. Itachi. Great, just fucking great. And the first thing he says to me? "Hello, otouto."

I make eye contact with him. "Itachi," I reply steadily.

His eyes flash with emotion for a brief moment before he speaks again. "I broke up with, as you so eloquently put it, the stupid whore I called a girlfriend. The day after you left, as it was."

I laugh derisively, rolling my eyes and taking another glass of wine. "Is that supposed to impress me?" I ask, sipping my wine. Damn, this was good stuff. And I needed it to ease my suffering.

He chuckles. "One can hope, otouto," he informs me, and then leaning in so his breath tickled my ear, "I've missed you very much. I hope you don't disappear again, little Sasu-chan."

I feel the blood rushing to my cheeks. "I hate to disappoint you, Itachi, but I do not plan on staying."

He laughs breathily, sending shivers down my spine. I do my best to resist them, but I still tremble a little bit when he speaks again. I really, really hope he didn't notice that. I don't think he did, seeing as how he didn't laugh at me. "Mhm," he murmurs, using his best bedroom voice, "you were wrong with what you said, about how much I love you."

"Ah, no, I don't believe anything I said was incorrect," I reply, trying to ignore the urge to lean into him. He presses a gentle kiss to the side of my neck and he licks the shell of my ear. What a fucking tease. He pulls away, smiles at me, and says he'll be back to bother me later. I roll my eyes again, drinking more of the wine. I had a feeling I would need it just to get through this nightmare.

~FREEDOM~

TA-DA.

Chapter one is complete. I really shouldn't be starting this right now, but I can't help it ): the part two for the KakaIta twoshot 'Leave' is almost done, I should have it up by Wednesday :D Sorry for the wait. Next chapter of 'Like Ghosts In Snow' is almost done as well, so that'll be up sometime soon!


	2. Chapter 2 Mistletoe (Hard to Breathe)

Hey, Hi, Hello. Welcome to chapter two of 'Freedom'. This chapter is kind of long, I guess. Took me a couple of hours to write, and then much, much longer to re-write (I accidentally deleted it T/.\T). I hope you enjoy it. Please review! :D Note- Sasuke refers to Izuna and Madara as 'Izuna-nii' or 'Madara-nii' because he's close to them, and views them as his older brothers instead of his uncles. Likewise, Izuna and Madara refer to Sasuke as 'otouto', and as 'Sasuke-chan' when they're playing around.

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Naruto, nor do I own 'Four Christmases'.  
**WARNING:** Four Christmases. A little bit of sarcasm and Itachi being mildly creepy. Lemon-ish at the very beginning. If you don't wanna read it, then just skip over. I suggest you do read it, because it helps make something a bit later on make sense.

**Anything in bold is important or with emphasis.  
****_This is what a flashback looks like._****  
**_'Song lyrics look like this.'_

~FREEDOM~

_'I don't think life is quite that simple.'_

~FREEDOM~

WARNING: LEMON-NESS IS BELOW!

_**"Kind of hard to breathe like this, huh, Sasu-chan?" Itachi's voice is low, teasing me. His breath brushes across my neck, sending shivers down my spine. I barely manage to moan out a choked 'yes'. He grins sadistically down at me, using his grasp on my neck to pull me up. As he presses a warm, open-mouthed kiss to my cheek he murmurs, "Oh, but you like it."**_

I moan even louder at this. Of course I did- I loved almost everything he did to me, partly because it was him doing it. He knew this too, which is why he did whatever he wanted to me. Keeping one of his hands around my neck, he lets the other trail downwards to grasp my length. I squeak at this, my hands clawing at his around my neck in an effort to get him to let go. If I could barely breathe right now, how would I manage like this? He didn't relent, of course, instead squeezing harder. He jerks his hips forward into me, setting a brutal pace. Everytime our hips met- mine desperately rocking up into his in a futile effort to get my release- I gasp out a mangled scream. Luckily no one was home, because if they were they would definitely be able to hear everything.

_** Itachi fucks me even harder, faster, something I was unsure was even possible. With every thrust into me, hitting my prostate dead on, my vision blurs. Was I crying? I didn't care. My entire body tingled, every nerve ending overloading with pure pleasure. Itachi leans back, still thrusting into me, and his eyes flutter closed, letting out a moan of his own. "Mmm, Sasu-channn..." he drawls out. With three final thrusts, he lets go with both hands.**_

_** The instant he does my world turns white. My orgasm comes crashing down on me, my entire body jerking with the force. I can't tell if I say anything or make any noise. I can't even think or feel anything for what must have been at least the next ten minutes. When my senses do return, my vision still semi-blurry, I quickly realize something- I was alone.**_

~LEMON-NESS IS NOW OVER~

The back of the limosine is immaculate.

There were only four people in it, all silent. Madara, Izuna, Itachi. Me. I'm simply staring out the window space just above Itachi's shoulder. He was sitting across from me, watching me with that seductive gaze. A moment passes in silence. Pine trees line the entire road, all massive and covering the entire expanse. Everything was amazingly green. From the house where the gathering before the funeral was held the trip to the funeral lot was an entire hour, and now we were heading back for the reception. So it was another hour long trip. It was only fifteen minutes into the ride, and I already felt the nerves seeping into my stomach. We would be obligated to hang around for at least a couple of hours before we could even consider leaving and disappearing again, and I was definitely not looking forward to the wait.

That would be mostly because of Itachi. What with the bedroom eyes and voice, it wouldn't be too easy to keep myself composed. Even though I dismissed Madara's mention of an escape plan as just a joke, I was now seriously considering it. I mean, why not? We all knew we weren't going to maintain contact with them, so why were we so worried about hurting their feelings or tarnishing the Uchiha name? That's why I break the silence, using a dead-serious voice to let them know I was far from joking about this.

"Mistletoe."

They all look at me. Madara gives me one of those looks, the one telling me he wasn't entirely sure if I was mentally sound or not and that he was considering sending me to the loony bin. "What?" Izuna asks, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Mistletoe," I repeat, and he rolls his eyes at me, almost like he's saying that simply repeating myself wouldn't make him understand any better than he did before. So I elaborate. "Well, I'm not sure if you guys have seen it, but there's this movie called 'Four Christmases'. It has Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn. They're a couple, and they go around to each of their parents to celebrate Christmas. And neither of them really want to be there, so they devise a single word to signal to the other that an emergency exit needs to happen right then and there. That word was mistletoe. I think it only makes sense we use that. I mean, Madara-nii, you did ask if we had an escape plan, just in case things went to hell. So here it is."

"That's a horrible escape plan. And it's the middle of July," Madara comments. I roll my eyes.

"Oh, 'cause your idea is so awesome. Wait, you don't have one," I reply. "Honestly. You're being picky."

He makes a face but doesn't say anything. We remain silent for another ten or so minutes, just staring out the windows, at each other or something random, like the seat lining. I've moved my gaze from the window to staring at my nails, curling my fingers into my palm and holding them up so I could see them properly. I probably should clip them or something, because they were getting a bit too long for my liking. They were perfectly functional, though, if I wanted to do something like claw my father's or Itachi's eyes out. In fact, that wasn't such a bad idea. A good method of defense if Itachi tried to touch me again. I wasn't about to let him do that, sexy older brother or no.

Dammit! No, bad Sasuke! He was _**not**_sexy! He was an evil, uncaring, insensitive asshole! I shouldn't be thinking of him like that. I thought I was past that! I sigh and drop my hand. This line of thinking was getting me nowhere and I might as well just stop it now before I did anymore damage. And I manage to stop- for a little while, anyway. It's broken up when Itachi says, "Well, I'm still moving in today, right?"

Instantly, I turn to Madara and Izuna to disprove this statement. Of course he wasn't moving in- why would he be? Judging by the guilty looks on their faces, though, they already knew what was going on. So Itachi wasn't crazy (at least not in this aspect). And now my heart hurts. I turn back to Itachi. He looks mildly surprised- apparently, he thought I already knew. "Why?" I ask. "Why did nobody see it fit to tell me?" My tone shows my surprise, and my hurt.

"We're sorry," Izuna says. I don't say anything, just let my eyes close. I needed to remain calm, to ignore the white-hot rage boiling in my brain. This wasn't the place to murder Itachi. There were witnesses. I was sure that if it came down to it, Madara and Izuna wouldn't speak a word, but what about the driver of the limo? He surely wouldn't try to hide it. He'd call the cops.

"Listen, otouto, I'm really very sorry about this-" Ah, fuck it. I'll kill the driver, too. Just so long as Itachi was dead as well. Which is why I was about to jump across and strangle Itachi in three, two, one... My eyes open. I lunge across the seat, landing in Itachi's lap. My hands go around his throat.

"I'm gonna fuckin' kill you, Itachi!" I growl. I squeeze his throat. His arms lift, trying to push me off. His eyes are wide with shock. To my surprise, Izuna and Madara make no move to stop me. They just watch- seeming only a little bit surprised- as Itachi struggles to get me to release my grip. "Kind of hard to breathe like this, huh, Ita-chan?" I mock him. He pulls even harder at my hands. I press down, forcing his back into the seat. His face is shocked.

I feel someone pulling at my arms. I don't even look back to see who it is- I just keep on, staring down at Itachi's face. His skin is slowly turning red, and I find myself wondering if this is similar to what I looked like three years back. A little bit different, I know, because Itachi was older, his features more defined and the scars on his face standing out. He was still red, though, with the same basic colors as what I had. Red skin, black hair.

And then someone gets the great idea of upturning a bottle of water over my head. This makes me loosen my grip in surprise. The cold water rushes over me, soaking the back of my suit and my hair. My eyes widen, and someone (I'm presuming it was whatever asshole that poured the water) takes the opportunity to pull me away from him by grabbing onto the back of my collar and yanking me away. It takes me a moment to get over the initial shock, but mere moments later I'm turning to face whoever did it. I know immediately who it was- Madara, the bitch. A shit-faced grin splits his bastard face. I glare at him, accusing him. Izuna has a smirk on his face, though it's much more contained. Like he feels just a little bit bad about this.

"Aw, Sasuke-chan! You look like a wet dog!" Madara giggles. Condescending bitch. I should kill him, too!

~FREEDOM~

TA-DA!

Here you go. Probably would have been longer, but my dad's going to be home soon and I'm grounded right now T/.\T Please, don't forget to review for me kiddies! 3 Next chapter? 'Tattoos and Aneurysms' :D

REVIEW RESPONSES-

DoNTbESCaREd - hey ^.^ thanks for reviewing, and I'm totally continuing it~ :D

XxBreathenomorExX - Sorry it took so long to update ): and glad to know! (:

lermia - updated, I am extremely sorry for how long it took ;/.\;


	3. Chapter 3 Tattoos and Aneurysms

Hey, Hi, Hello.

Welcome to chapter three of 'Freedom', titled 'Tattoos and Aneurysms'. Enjoy it, please! :D Anyway, get to reading :P Dedication to mainki!

**DISCLAIMER:** The author doesn't own Naruto, despite the fact she really, really, really wants to.  
**WARNINGS:** Sasuke-chan's tattoos, plus someone has an aneurysm (they don't literally have an aneurysm, just a bit of a freak out). OOC-ness.

~FREEDOM~

I feel like a wet dog.

My hair's not matted down (it's gravity defying, remember?) but the entire back of my suit is sticking to my skin. It's pouring down my face, too, blocking my vision. Someone hands me a hand towel and I take it, pressing it to my face. I hold it there, just relaxing myself. Then I run it through my hair, blinking away all of the excess water. Itachi is sitting across from me, rubbing his throat. His neck was red, each one of my finger marks easily visible. I gulp, feeling guilt begin to seep into my stomach. Asshole or no, he didn't deserve to die. I feel the impulse to apologize to him. I still loved him, just like I promised him so long ago. I doubt I will ever stop, either.

"Well, no point in wearing wet clothing!" Madara chirps. "So take that jacket and shirt off, little Sasu-chan!" I glare over at him, at which point he childishly sticks his tongue out at me. I roll my eyes, give him the finger and begin unbuttoning my jacket. Now what would I wear?

Judging from the look on Itachi's face, he wasn't genuinely upset about how I tried to kill him. This was unexpected, I muse, reaching the last button. He doesn't seem entirely surprised either. I pull my suit jacket off, then begin unbuttoning my dress shirt. I wonder what he would think of my tattoos? Would he like them? Why do I care? My fingers move to the last button on my shirt. Well, I'd find out soon. Cause he was about to see them.

"Whoa." A brief glimmer of a smirk passes over my features, but other than that I remain expressionless. I watch his face as his eyes glide over each visible tattoo, a strange look crossing his features. Like he was surprised I grew up.

"Surprised? I did mention them," I inform him, keeping my tone brusque. I keep my eyes on him. I have three tattoos- my first one, a swirl design on my upper left arm (AN: ANBU tattoo), the second one I got, a snake twisting around my lower left arm (AN: from his wrist to a little bit below his elbow) and then my most recent, just recently completely finished about a month or two ago. It was a giant dragon, coiled around my arm. Its tail rested just above my right elbow, and its body twisted up and around my arm, shoulder and chest, its head settling on my right pectoral. It was inked almost completely in black and red. It was pretty badass.

"...gorgeous..." he mumbles. I roll my eyes at his words, leaning back in my seat. Madara and Izuna are quietly discussing something. I eye them carefully, but soon dismiss it as Itachi leans in, peering at my tattoos. His fingers twitch, like he wants to touch them but won't.

Silence remains for the rest of the ride. We're one of the first groups back, aside from my mother, father, uncle Teuchi, Shisui and Obito. I enter the house and find them in the living room. Itachi, Madara and Izuna are following close behind me.

My father's the first to see me, and he looks down right shocked at the state I'm in. His face turns an alarming shade of red, eye twitching dangerously and his pupils dilating. For a while, he doesn't say anything, just looks and looks and turns a purple-ish red color. "What in the world happened?" He finally asks, voice coming out choked. I raise any eyebrow at his state. Seemed like he was having an aneurysm.

I shrug. "Madara found it necessary to pour a bottle of water on me." I'm hyper aware of the fact my tattoos are very visible and that everyone is looking at them.

"Why in the hell did you do that?" My father seethes, turning to Madara. He never really liked Madara.

Madara-nii shrugs. "He was choking Itachi. What did you want me to do?"

"Sasu-chan? Why would you do that?" My mom demands, turning to me

I shrug just like Masao-nii did. "'Cause. Anyway, I was wondering if you might have an extra suit for me to wear? It's not appropriate to be wearing a tank top at a funeral."

Itachi speaks up. "I do. Let's go, otouto." He turns and heads upstairs to his room. I follow him. There's only silence between us. We go to his room, where I take a hesitant seat on his bed as he looks through his closet briefly before withdrawing a dress shirt. He turns to me and offers me the shirt. "I can't find a coat that will fit you properly. If needed you can find an undershirt in the top drawer of my dresser. I'll be heading back downstairs now." He turns to leave. His eyes don't meet mine and it registers in my brain that he probably felt extremely upset. The impulse to apologize comes around again and this time I can't deny the overwhelming feeling.

"Aniki! I-I...don't go!" I shout. He stops in his tracks, looking almost comical. His form is still tensed as I continue on talking. "I'm sorry! For leaving you and for trying to strangle you! But you have to understand, you hurt me so much..." My voice trails off and I feel dangerously close to tears. Why was I getting so emotional about this?

He turns to me, a suddenly sympathetic look on his face. He steps forward hesitantly and I can't look at him. My gaze focuses onto the tops of my knees instead. He settles down next to me, a polite distance away. My heart aches at how far he felt. "Sasuke...I know..." He pauses, seeming to have difficulty finding the words. "I know I was a horrible brother and lover. I was unkind and unfair and I'd take my stress and confusion out on you. I felt torn, because I wanted to keep the facade of having a girlfriend up so Hahaue and Chichiue didn't suspect that I was gay, and so were you and that we were together but I also felt like I was cheating on you. That caused a lot of inner...turmoil, which I handled badly. So, in short, I regret my actions heavily, and... I'm sorry, koi."

I blink back tears. So that was why he kept her around. Maybe...it wouldn't be so bad if I forgave him? I was still in love with him. And he apparently felt the same, or to that effect. I feel a tear make its way down my cheek. "...you have a lot to make up for, Ita-nii," I murmur, absent-mindedly wiping the tear off.

His voice sounds hopeful. "So...you forgive me? At least partially?"

I summon the courage to look into his eyes. They seem hopeful, too. "Yes. Partially."

He's visibly relieved, his semi-tense posture relaxing. I lean forward, closing the distance. "I meant what I said when I told you I wouldn't be able to move on," I murmur lowly, burying my face in his chest. His arms wind around me, holding me close. He sighs softly, and I feel safer and more complete than I have in the past two years. And this moment feels perfect.

Until my cellphone rings.

"Kami-dammit, Suigetsu, what is it?" I ask him, pressing my phone to my ear. I'm still snuggled up to Itachi's chest, and I can feel his breath ruffling my hair.

Suigetsu is clearly panicking. "I'm so sorry for callin' and interruptin' but there's an emergency! Karin's just called in sick and can't make it! And she had four people scheduled for tattoos. One's already shown up and I got two people waitin' on me, one just for a labret piercin' but the other for a full sized outline!"

"I'll be there within the hour. Get whoever's labret piercing done with, placate Karin's client with something trivial like picking out colors and start in on your schedule. Okay? I gotta go now, but like I said I'll be there within the hour. Just calm down and do what I said. Bye now," I instruct.

He sighs slightly in relief. "Hai, Sasuke-kun. Thanks!" There's a slight pause and the line goes dead. I slide my phone into my pocket and then snuggle into Itachi's chest again.

"What was that about?" He asks me. His voice rumbles in his chest.

"Emergency at the place I work and I gotta go up there," I explain.

"Do you happen to work at a tattoo parlor?" He asks, a slight chuckle in his voice.

"As it is, yeah, I do. I make good money," I inform him. I take a deep breath, soaking in his scent. Soap and cinnamon.

"Ah," he says, "I see. You'll need a ride there, ne? I'll take you, if you want." He seems a little bit nervous at me potentially saying 'no'.

"Sure," I say, a hint of a smile in my voice, "we'd better get going soon. It'll take about twenty minutes to get there."

"Let's go then," he tells me.

~FREEDOM~

Just over twenty minutes later finds the two of us arriving at the parlor. It was a bit difficult getting out of staying but once I explained I was normally there at this time and happened to be shift manager then my father finally accepted it and let us leave.

We enter to see Suigetsu already in the middle of completing an outline on someone's leg. At the sound of the bell on the door ringing he looks up, sighing relief at seeing me. He switches the tattoo gun he was using off, pausing momentarily to tell him he was giving him a break and not to move his leg around too much. Then he scurries over to us.

"Hello, Sasuke-kun. Hello, older version of Sasuke complete with scars. Anyway, Karin's scheduled customer is sitting over there picking out colors. She's just gettin' her colors filled in for an already done outline. A touch up for the outline, too, 'cause she's been waitin' and not been an asshole about it. Her next customer is due in thirty minutes. Have fun," he explains. I nod and he heads back over to his station.

I turn to Itachi. "I work over there," I say, indicating the station across from Suigetsu. "You can go make yourself comfortable or explore the shop, I don't care which." With that I leave him and head to the girl sitting with her friend.

"Hey," I say, "Sorry about the wait. The artist that was supposed to be working with you called in sick, and I was at a family thing when Suigetsu over there called me. Now, what colors do you wanna get?"

The blonde one of the group speaks up. "Oh, it's okay. I wanna get this red, and then little bit of gray..." She was getting a Gothic style flower on her back filled in. It was a small little thing, and it would take me about twenty minutes to get done.

"Sure, sure, I can do that," I assure. "Should take about twenty minutes. If you could go wait in the chair across from Suigetsu I'll be back to you in a bit. Gotta go get the colors and stuff."

She nods and goes over there. Itachi's standing at the counter, flipping through a photo book with pictures of piercings you could get. I walk over to him, moving around and reaching under the counter to get a box full of alcohol wipes. "Hey, Aniki," I tell him as I pass. I set them down on my station's table before opening one of the cabinets next to it and pulling out a pair of sweatpants. Wearing the pants of my suit was way too uncomfortable. I change into them in the bathroom and finish gathering up the rest of the stuff I'd need, including the colors and plastic gloves.

Then, after a brief explanation and checking to make sure I had colors she wanted, I begin to work on the girl's tattoo. It was easy work, and in the middle of it Itachi wanders over. I glance at him as I dip the tattoo needle into the color, but my gaze quickly returns to the work at hand. "Hey, Ita-nii," I murmur, absentmindedly dabbing at the excess color that welled up. Just a little bit more to go...

"Otouto," Itachi replies, peering at the girl's tattoo. I had one last petal to fill in, and after that I would be finished. "That's good work."

"I'd hope so. You wanna get a tattoo?" I ask him. He did seem rather interested in them. One last dab at excess color and I lean back, setting the tattoo gun down and switching it off. "Well, that's it, Yamanaka-san. Here, a mirror for you to see..." I lead her over to a big mirror on the wall. She looks, gasps and thanks me. I tell her it was just part of the job, then run her through the register before instructing her how to care for it. She leaves with her friend after thanking me again.

"I'm considering it," Itachi confesses. He's leaning against the counter next to me. I'm sitting on top of it, kicking my feet back and forth.

"Oh, you are? So where and what?" I ask.

"You remember the tales of the Uchihas of old, when they could supposedly use ninja techniques? And how we're named after possibly the two most famous Uchihas, Itachi and Sasuke? Well, I remember specifically old Uchiha Itachi joined a criminal organization named the Akatsuki. I wanted to get something related to that," he informs me.

"Ah, that'd be fuckin' awesome," I exclaim, "you should totally do that! Maybe get the kanji symbol he had on his ring?"

"You think so? And yes, that would be my best option," he says.

"Yeah. As for where, I'm thinking maybe the inside of your wrist. It can be easily covered by a watch or a wristband," I inform. The conversation would've continued on, if it weren't for the arrival of another of Karin's scheduled appointments. Itachi stays with me all the while, and that makes me happy. The conversation about him getting a tattoo is dropped, but it stays on my mind for the rest of the night.

~FREEDOM~

TA-DA.

I hope you guys enjoyed it! Sorry it took so long to type out. Love you kiddies 3


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